Thursday, February 26, 2009

It's a Friday thought and I have no idea why this thought came to mind. I like airplanes. I have never learned to fly one, nor do I intend to do so at this stage of life. Yesterday an airplane came to mind. I remember seeing this craft in Memphis, at a private airfield, when I was traveling on business. I thought it was just the most beautiful private plane I had ever seen. I have never seen another. Now I know why.The BeechcraftStarship 1 was developed in 1984, first certified by the FAA in 1986, and the first one sold to the public in 1989. The BeechcraftStarship 1 took too long to develop, which drove costs up. It was too expensive at the time. You could buy an entry level jet for the same price. It was slower and heavier than most of its competition. The result is that only 53 of these beautiful aircraft were ever built. Virtually all of them are now in a "bone yard" awaiting destruction. The video tells the story. Still, it was a gorgeous flying machine.

Okay, on to Friday Inspirational music. Today I have selected a more contemporary artist than I normally feature. This song by Jeremy Camp celebrates the wonder Genesis 1. God is creator and savior and sustainer of us all. Have a marvelous week-end. Enjoy.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

I haven't done a meme in ages. I found this one over at "The Big Leather Couch" , which is one of my favorite places in all of the blogosphere. There is a link in the sidebar and I encourage to drop by there sometime. I had a feeling that not all of the answers would make much sense, because my MP3 has Christmas music, Christian music, Country music, Rock and Blues on it. So, when I keep all of the songs in play, it can be a little awkward. I may try this again sometime and limit my answers to specific play lists. At any rate, here are the results.

RULES1. Put Your iTunes, Windows Media Player, MP3 Player, or whatever on Shuffle.2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.3. You must write down the name of the song no matter how silly it sounds!4. Tag at least 10 friends (including the person who sent this to you)

If someone says, ‘Are you okay?’ You say:We Fall Down - Randy Travis, Worship and FaithI've fallen down more times than I care to count. The question is, will you get back up.

How would you describe yourself?Song for Our Ancestors - Steve Miller Band, The Best of 1968-1973I can't carry a tune in a bucket.

What do you like in a guy/girl?Mama Tried - Randy Travis, Tribute to TraditionWell, I like to think that both of her parents were involved in her upbringing.

How do you feel today?Gone, gone, gone - Robert Plant/Allison Kraus, Raising SandThat pretty much says it all.

What is your life’s purpose?Walking in a Hurricane - John Fogerty, Blue Moon SwampIt may not be my purpose, but it is often my calling.

What is your motto?Will the Circle be Unbroken - Bryan White, Amazing Grace 2This one works for me.

What do you think of your parents?I Don't Want to be The One - Trisha Yearwood, Where Your Road LeadsHey, I'm an only child! I couldn't think of having better parents, so yes, I do want to be the one.

What do you think about very often?A Hundred and Ten in the Shade - John Fogerty, Blue Moon SwampWell, it does get warm here in the summer, but I try not to think too much about it.

What do you think of your best friend?They Can't Take That Away From Me - Rod Stewart, Great American SongbookI've been married to my best friend for nearly thirty-five years. Nuff said.

What do you think of the person you like?Hey Jude - The Beatles, OneHuh?

What is your life story?Take it Easy - Eagles, The Very Best ofLife is too short to be stressed out all of the time. This answer fits me pretty well.

What do you want to be when you grow up?I Want to Hold Your Hand - Beatles, OneHuh Number 2. Well, I didn't know it at the time, but I couldn't think of a better thing to be when I grew up than the husband of my bride.

What do you think of when you see the person you like?Only Time Can Heal the Wounded - Chicago, Twenty-oneI hope I've not wounded her that often and she does heal quickly.

What will you dance to at your wedding?Farther Along - Randy Travis, Worship and FaithI dance better than I sing.

What will they play at your funeral?Powerful Thing - Trisha Yearwood, Where Your Road LeadsI don't know about that.

What is your hobby/interest?Only the Young - Journey, RevelationWhoa!!! I don't think so. Sometimes I would be interested in being a 20 something or 30 something again, but only if I can take my 60 something wisdom with me.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Tomorrow morning I am leaving on a short business trip to El Paso. No offense to all of my friends from Texas, but I don't like El Paso. I don't know why anyone would live there on purpose. Okay, so it holds some less than happy memories for me.In August of 1966 I was drafted into the Army and I took my basic training at Ft. Bliss, Texas, which is in El Paso. That's right, basic training, in August, in El Paso! During those eight weeks we were allowed to leave the base once. I took a city bus to UTEP and watched a college football game. I have NO use for Juarez, Mexico!!! Never have, never will. I didn't lose anything there and I have NO reason go to that cess pool (Okay Driller, tell us how you really feel).After my eight weeks of basic training, I was sent to radio school...in Ft. Huachuca, Arizona, another border town with even less to do for entertainment than El Paso. After sixteen weeks in the desert, Viet Nam was starting to look pretty good.Fortunately, this trip is just an overnighter. I can handle that. If I were going to have to stay a week, I'd send some one else.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Yes, I like romantic comedies! Get over it. I also like action adventures and good drama. I am not a fan of Blood and Gore horror films or most contemporary slapstick (Jim Carey for example). OK, on with the show. Yesterday my bride and I decided to take in a matinee. Last week we saw "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and the trailer for "New In Town" caught our interest.Let me say that I do think Renee Zellweger is an excellent actress but I don't think she is as attractive as some people believe. Okay, back to the movie. The premise is that a major food corporation is restructuring and needs to re-tool and downsize one of their plants to produce a new product. Corporate headquarters is in Miami, FL. The plant is in Minnesota...and it is November! Being the liberated woman that she is, and on the fast track up the corporate ladder, Renee volunteers to oversee the transition, before she finds out that it is in Minnesota.Upon her arrival, she meets with a few of the locals. Again we're dealing with small town Minnesota as compared to Miami, FL. There is weather shock and culture shock for our heroine to deal with.Harry Connick Jr., plays the regional union representative and the love/hate interest. He is a widowed father of a newly teenaged daughter. There is a scene in which his daughter is going on her first date. The preparation for the date, the meeting with the boyfriend are great.At some point in the movie the corporate decision is to close the plant rather than retool. Zellweger comes up with a plan to introduce a totally new product (unknown to corporate), and save the plant and the town.It is classic romantic comedy, not terribly original in plot, but some very funny scenes and a very likable cast. So, if you are looking for something to do next Saturday afternoon and don't want to pay full price, take in a matinee and go see "New In Town."

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

At first we got iced in, then we got iced out. Last Wednesday I posted photos of birds feeding around our house. We had an ice storm and I could not get to work, so I took some photos. On Thursday, I made it to work and took the photos posted below. When I arrive home that afternoon, we had lost power at the house and it was freezing cold. We packed up a few things and spent the night at our grand crew's home. Since then we spent two nights in hotels and three additional nights with the grand crew. We were without power for six days and since our home is total electric, that means no heat, no hot water, no lights, no nothing!!! The power came back on around 7:00 p.m. last night. It was the first good nights sleep I had in a week. There were over 150,000 people in Arkansas that joined us in this power outage. We were fortunate though. There was no damage to our home. Many people had tree limbs crashing through their roofs in the middle of the night. Others saw beautiful mature trees in their yards shredded by the ice. But even in the worst of the weather there is beauty if you look for it. Here are a few photos I took around our office building.

Just a Reminder

I am certainly not the best photographer in the world, but I do enjoy working with a camera and PhotoShop Elements. Most of the photos are taken with a Nikon D80 digital SLR and an 18-135mm lens. Some are taken with a Canon A620 point and shoot digital camera. A few are taken with a Canon S3Is (semi-pro) digital camera.Please note that I have taken all of the photographs on this blog and they are copyrighted. Thank you for viewing and commenting. Your visits are appreciated and you comments are welcome. Stop by anytime.